2024 Guber: PDP Will Reclaim Ondo, Say Alabere, Olafeso

Fidelis David in Akure

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Tola Alabere, and the former National Vice Chairman (South West), Dr. Eddy Olafeso, have expressed confidence that the party will win the November 16 governorship election in the state.

They stated this yesterday in Akure, the state capital, at a one-day seminar organised for media aides of PDP governorship aspirants in the state ahead of the election.

Specifically, Olafeso said the party is re-strategising for the primary slated for April 25 and the major election in November.

According to him, “With the future we have shared together in PDP, no matter the challenges we are facing at this moment, we are very sure and confident that the future will be better and that PDP will take back power and connect to do what it did in the past to develop Ondo State and Nigeria. I am very confident that we will return.”

When asked what the party was doing to address the internal crisis bedeviling the party in the state, Olafeso said: “Part of what we are doing this moment started with an internal process of communication with ourselves and once we get that one right, once we understand our history, once we understand the fact that we need one another and that if we are not united, there will be problem ahead of us.

“We are sure that the future will take care of itself and we are very resolute, and beside that, the future of Nigeria, especially the current situation that Nigerians are facing under APC, can’t continue forever.”

The PDP chieftain emphasised that the party is the only solution to the insecurity, hunger and infrastructural problems in the coastal state.

“There’s no middle class anymore, there is poverty in the land, there is insecurity. Then what else can we hope for but for the support of the people that will make the PDP’s dream of creating prosperity for this country happen as quickly as possible,” he stated.

He charged the participants, “to take seriously whatever you are learning here because abuse is not democracy. Democracy is the form of government by civilized minds, highly educated people who understands the meaning of forgiveness, who understands the meaning of learning, who understands the meaning of listening.

“Democracy is the service  for the people and developing the land much more than we have  it and I can guarantee you the participants have been better served from this seminar. This is novel. That’s why I have  celebrated the executive members for thinking out this and encouraging the very serious aspirants to come and be part of this and some of them are here. So I’m very excited that we are going somewhere. We’re heading somewhere, and that is success; that is victory.”

Also, the state Chairman of the party, Tola Alabere, called on all the party members in the state to join hands with the leadership of the party towards building a more united front to reclaim the state, stressing that the state remained a PDP state.

“I want to admonish you to be a good ambassadors of PDP. I said that deliberately because all of us are working for PDP. This is because, if your principals are not members of the PDP, you won’t be here today. The main reason for this programme is to tell you that PDP is the party in Ondo State. I must tell you that I don’t see PDP as opposition party in the state because we’re supposed to be in government,” he stated.

According to Alabere, “If aspirant A should win the primary, he will need the support and corporation of other aspirants. But, the moment you come in between your principal and other aspirants, will they be ready to support him when he wins? So, you have a major role to play in uniting the party.

“I want to advise you to conserve the energy you are putting to bring down co-aspirants with your principal for APC. You didn’t see anything wrong in what APC is doing in Ondo State? The major reason any political party is contesting an election is to win and this is the best opportunity for us in this state. We are more than APC in Ondo State. I want to plead with you to see this project as your project.”